To idle or not to idle...that is the question

[Ms Grumpy]

I read this today on my Yahoo news page and wondered ..... do you let your car idle to warm up ?

Eight Facts About Warming Up Your Car in Winter


Old habits die hard, and one of the oldest — still rigorously enforced by many drivers — is that "warming up" the car for a few minutes is necessary to avoid some kind of unspecified damage.

But idling is totally unnecessary, which is why many communities have enacted ordinances against the practice.

Don't take my word about idling being ineffective, but do listen to my mechanic, Rob Maier, who runs Maier's Garage in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

He says, "You don't really need to idle your car, because of the efficiency of modern fuel injection, which eliminated carburetors and chokes. The only reason to let the car idle at all is to get the oil circulating, but after 30 seconds that's a done deal. My truck has 150,000 miles on it, and I just throw it into gear and go."

Here are some quick facts and tips that should put the idling question to rest:


1. Driving warms the car faster than idling

If your concern is not the health of the car, but simply your own creature comforts, Bob Aldrich of the California Energy Commission points out that "idling is not actually an effective way to warm up a car — it warms up faster if you just drive it."

The coming electric cars, such as the Nissan Leaf, will incorporate a wonderful feature that allows the owner to use a cellphone to tell the car (which is plugged into the grid) to pre-warm or pre-cool the interior. No idling necessary.


2. Ten seconds is all you need

Environmental Defense Fund, which produced the Idling Gets You Nowhere campaign, advises motorists to turn off their ignition if they're sitting stopped for more than 10 seconds.

"After about 10 seconds, you waste more money running the engine than restarting it, said Andy Darrell, deputy director of the EDF Energy Program. "Switch the car off at the curb, and you'll be leaving money in your wallet and protecting the air in your community."


3. Idling hurts the car

According to the Hinkle Charitable Foundation's Anti-Idling Primer, idling forces an engine "to operate in a very inefficient and gasoline-rich mode that, over time, can degrade the engine's performance and reduce mileage."

The Campaign for an Idle-Free New York City points out that idling causes carbon residues to build up inside the engine, which reduces its efficiency.


4. Idling costs money

Over a year of five minutes of daily idling (which causes incomplete combustion of fuel), the "Anti-Idling Primer" estimates that the operator of a V8-engine car will waste 20 gallons of gasoline, which not only produces 440 pounds of carbon dioxide but costs at least $60.


5. Idling in the garage can kill you

Idling a car in a garage, even with the door open, is dangerous and exposes the driver to carbon monoxide and other noxious gases. If the garage is attached, those fumes can also enter the house.



6. Block heaters beat remote starters

Lori Strothard of the Waterloo Citizens Vehicle Idling Reduction Task Force in Canada says, "Remote starters can too easily cause people to warm up their cars for 5 to 15 minutes, which is generally unnecessary."

A block heater, which is designed to heat the engine and can cost under $30, on a timer set to start one to two hours before driving, does the trick in very cold climates.


7. Quick errands aren't quick enough

Natural Resources Canada points out that leaving your car idling while you're running into a store on an errand or going back into the house to pick up a forgotten item is another way to waste gas and pollute both your town and the planet.

"Leaving your engine running is hard on your pocketbook, produces greenhouse gas emissions, and is an invitation to car thieves," the agency (PDF) says.


8. Idling is bad for your health (and your neighbor's health)

According to Minneapolis' anti-idling ordinance, "Exhaust is hazardous to human health, especially children's; studies have linked air pollution to increased rates of cancer, heart and lung disease, asthma and allergies."

Isabelle Silverman, who runs EDF's anti-idling campaign, says that car idling "is the second-hand smoking of the outdoors. One of the problems is that cars idle close to the curb, where pedestrians are walking. And when you have a child in a stroller, they are particularly close to the tailpipe. Studies show that children's IQ levels are lower when they live near major roads with lots of traffic." (A fresh study even links autism to freeway pollution.)

Alex Scaperotta, who created an anti-idling campaign with a classmate when he was in fifth grade in Wilton, Connecticut, came up with a slogan that was used on bumper stickers and websites: "If you're stopped for more than 10, turn it off and on again." Sounds like good advice.

[grandsport]

I for one will not idly stand by and let this happen.It is a God given right in Western Pa. to have it's citizens defrost their vehicles before driving.

Really now,how many of you drive off in a cold frosted up vehicle?

[Derek69SS]

I defrost mine too... I run out and start the car, then come back in to get the kids ready, which takes about 10 minutes.

[grandsport]

If I didn''t have a Chevelle on one side of the garage,and being the loving husband that I am and let Maureen rent the other half,I would not have to do the warm up.

[shadowgray396]

My Tundra idles to fast at a cold start to drive it. So I let it warm up some so it will idle down. I have complained about it at the dealer, but thy keep telling me there is nothing that can be done. It will push you through a intersection if one is not careful or will drive down the road at 40 mph untill it idles down.

Ray

[grandsport]

Given Toyotas track record on gas pedals I would be a little leery,Ray.

[shadowgray396]

Originally Posted by grandsport

Given Toyotas track record on gas pedals I would be a little leery,Ray.

I agree, I have complained about it since 2005 when I bought it new.

[Hank70SS]

The Malibu sits in the garage which is always well above freezing so no idling there. The pickup sits outside, if the windshield has ice or frost on it I'll let it run a few minutes to warm up. They both have remote start which was nice when I worked in the office. My office was on the 5th floor, I would walk to the end of the hall which looked out on the parking lot and start the car/truck a few minutes before leaving if there was snow or ice on it.

[Ms Grumpy]

I totally agree. My car has a remote start, and I use it in the winter to defrost the windows, and in the summer to cool down the car. The van needs a few minutes to warm up so I can defrost the front window. For being a full size van, the defroster has always sucked, it is in the dead center of the dash and it takes a good 10 minutes to get the defroster working good.

I can't imagine a city banning this.

[Ms Grumpy]

I wish that I had the remote start this morning, the side door of my van was frozen. My daughter attempted to open it when I took her to school. It didn't open, or so I thought. When I got home I noticed that it was partially open. It took me a while to get it open, then I had to make sure I cleared out any unwanted snow and ice in all the edges. I wish I had the remote start with the van...are you listening grumpy. lol